One of sub-Saharan Africa’s most famous sons, Nelson Mandela, accurately characterized education as “the most powerful weapon … you can use to change the world.” Education can bring about positive change in countless ways. It drives economic growth and development, and delivers economic returns to individuals (and these returns are higher in Africa than anywhere else). Each added year at school reduces an adolescent boy’s risk of involvement in armed conflict by 20 percent, and better-educated women have fewer and healthier children with lower rates of maternal mortality.